Well, a couple of weeks ago I mentioned receiving bok choy in our organic veggie box, and having no clue what to do with it. After some internet research, I found out it could be used raw, in a salad, instead of lettuce. I tried that. Hated it. Bok choy has a strong flavor, and while Agus didn’t mind it, I couldn’t even finish my salad and had to give it to him.

So I decided to try it cooked, and really liked it (Agus, on the other hand, wasn’t so happy with the cooked version of it). Since I was concerned about not liking the flavor, I added my favorite spice, curry. Here goes:

Ingredients:

3 stalks Bok choy, chopped (keep the stalk separate from the leaves)
1 Yellow onion, chopped
1 fresh Chile pepper, thinly sliced
Fresh ginger, grated
Soy sauce
Olive oil
Curry
Sesame seeds

Preparation:

First, I sauteed the onion in olive oil in a large saucepan with the chile pepper. Then I added the bok choy stalks, curry, grated ginger, and soy sauce. I covered the pan, steaming the stalks for a couple of minutes. Next, I added the bok choy leaves and sesame seeds, covering for another couple of minutes. When it was done, I served it alongside chicken breast Agus had grilled.

You can also add some more sesame seed on top if you like.

Remember that regular soy sauce is not gluten- and wheat-free. If you have gluten or wheat intolerance (we’re allergic to wheat, but seem to tolerate regular soy sauce), look for gluten- or wheat-free soy or tamari sauce at the grocery store (or online).

Give bok choy a try, if you aren’t familiar with it. It’s actually a member of the cabbage family, and is is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and calcium. It’s apparently really high in beta-carotene, which I would never have guessed. Anyway, I’m not fond of nutrient-based diets but, like all fresh veggies, this is good stuff.

Enjoy!

Bok Choy

Ingredients:

1 package Extra-firm tofu, cubed or sliced in half length-wise to make “tofu fillets”
3 T. Soy sauce
3/4 cup Orange and lemon juice (I used one large lemon and one small orange)
2 T. Orange or marmalade (I used lemon)
1 t.  Ginger, minced
1 T. Honey

Preparation:

Place tofu in a baking dish. Whisk together ingredients for the sauce, and pour over tofu to marinade while the oven heats up to 350°F/180°C.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Soy Sauce

Oh, have you noticed I like this combination? I thought I’d try a new sauce, and well, came up with something similar to what I used in my chicken dish. It’s very loosely based on this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 package Tofu
1 Egg
1/3 cup Sesame and flax seeds
Olive oil

1 cup Coconut milk
1 1/2 t. Coriander
1 1/2 t. Cumin
1 1/2 t. Turmeric
1 1/2 t. Ginger
1 1/2 t. Curry
1/2 t. Salt

Preparation:

Heat a little olive oil in a pan.

Slice the tofu in half. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl and dip the tofu in it, being sure to cover all sides. Then dip in the seed mixture (you can also add some gomasio), using a spoon if needed to fully cover the tofu. Cook over low flame in the pan.

In a separate saucepan, add all remaining ingredients until heated, stirring occasionally.

Once both parts are finished, serve tofu on a small plate and drizzle with the coconut-curry sauce.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thickly
3 Yellow onions, quartered
2 cups Chicken stock, preferably homemade
3/4 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup Sesame seeds
1/4 cup Gomasio
2 T. Ginger
2 T. Red pepper flakes
Sea salt & Pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

Drizzle olive oil in roasting pan. Prepare the onions and apples, and line the roasting pan with them.

After washing down the bird, rub it all over with olive oil. Place it in the pan, on top of the apples and onions, and sprinkle everything with sea salt and pepper (keep the salt to a minimum, as the soy sauce will provide almost enough).

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, and honey. Add the chicken stock, ginger, and pepper flakes and whisk. Pour on top of the chicken, onions, and apples.

Sprinkle the entire pan with sesame seeds, then sprinkle everything with the gomasio.

Then it all goes into the oven for at least an hour, depending on the size of your bird. At the 30 minute point, turn the bird over and baste both it and the apples/onions with the sauce. Baste the chicken once again for each additional 20 minutes.

This chicken was spectacular. I think it ties for my favorite with the last recipe. It doesn’t taste like soy sauce, and it doesn’t have a honey flavor. It’s just amazingly delicious!!

Enjoy!

Oh, and please note that soy sauce is not gluten free, so if you have a gluten intolerance, you’ll be best off avoiding it.

Ginger

I love it. What can I say? Grated with hot water as a spicy tea, in aromatic muffins, with chicken, fish, whatever. Love. Ginger.

Just had to share that. Was that more than 140 characters?

Ginger

I used this recipe from Allrecipes, and substituted:

1 1/4 cups Soy flour and 1 cup Corn flour for 2 1/4 cups wheat (all purpose) flour
Fresh ground ginger for dried ground ginger
Honey for molasses and white sugar

I also added crushed mixed nuts.

They came out GREAT, though I might bake them a minute less next time. I did 17 minutes last time. I may also add more fresh ginger.

Seriously, are these cupcakes or muffins? What IS the difference, anyway? Anyway, you get the idea.

Ginger

Ingredients:

Chicken breast, cut into strips (I always get boneless, skinless)
Soy sauce
Crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh garlic, crushed
Onion, cubed
Bell pepper, cut into strips (I used red because that’s what I had, otherwise I would have used different kinds)
Lemon juice
Balsamic vinegar
Tomatoes
Hot sauce (sorry, this sounds like a disgusting addition, but like I said…low on ingredients)
Ginger, grated (I always use fresh)
Cumin
Coriander (for lack of fresh cilantro)

I’m really not sure what to call this, but it came out great. We used the leftovers the following day for dinner, cut up in a huge salad. We decided last week that would be the official use of leftovers. So far, it’s working out well. We just cut up the fish/chicken/whatever and toss it in a big salad.

Ingredients: fresh squeezed lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, freshly grated ginger, crushed pepper flakes. Whisk everything together, add to the pot with the fish, and cook. That’s it!

Don’t even ask what I served this with: Holy Salad. Some day he’ll get sick of it, and then I’ll have to come up with something else. But for now, we’re both loving it.

Beef cooking class tonight! Fun!

Ginger